The spring edition of the Hong Kong Electronics Fair officially yesterday, with a grand ceremony attended by hundreds of VIP guests.

The atmosphere was one of great optimism as Dr Roy Chung, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Electronics/Electrical Appliances Industries Advisory Committee, spoke about Hong Kong’s growth in an increasingly competitive market.

He said that last year’s electronic exports had increased by 11 per cent to US$173 billion, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of all the nation’s exports.

The Fair also promised to be a great success, he said, with higher exhibitor numbers than ever before and several new countries participating, including Brazil, Israel, Macau, Romania and Thailand.

The number of buyers queuing up to attend the first day of the show indicates a busy week ahead filled, hopefully, with an equally high number of orders.

In the Hall of Fame, retailers were spoilt for choice when it came to digital photo frames and satellite navigation devices, with a huge selection of both.

However, the product that drew the most impressive crowd (during my visit) was a portable steam iron from Goodway.

This small and exceptionally lightweight product looked nothing like a conventional iron - more like a large hairbrush, with water stored in its head.

However, as the demonstrator glided the head easily over a crumpled shirt, she proved it was very effective.

The iron even featured a vertical function, shot of steam and several accessories for cleaning sofas and upholstery.

“This product is perfect for when you have to go away for business, or a wedding, and your suit or dress becomes crumpled in the suitcase,” said the demonstrator.

“It’s not sold in the UK yet, but if Asia’s performance is anything to go by, it would be a huge success.”